Hi Mandy, Thank you again for your support of Union Station Kansas City. Copyright Union Station. We were so lucky to learn about the awesome reciprocal museum membership that you can buy. I was most impressed with the science and nature museums. Children under six are always free. The prices vary greatly so we always check ahead of time. Many are privately owned by non-profit groups, so they have to charge admission in order to pay the bills. Sometimes its a good price and other times well use our other memberships instead. Members can also receive dollar-off access to see the OMNIMAX theater and special exhibits that are there. Becoming a member is a great way to support your local accredited zoo or aquarium. Click here to learn more. Thanks! For a reduced rate of $5.00 each as long as one person is listed on the membership card. The 12-month membership would begin when your recipient redeems the voucher. Thats right. If you have older kids that may be the better option for you. Located in Owensboro, Kentucky, the Owensboro Museum of Science and History will allow ASTC members free admission to the exhibit hall for a family of six. A museum membership makes a good gift of shared experiences. The Indiana State Museum is though. Our first stop was Seattle Science Center. Washington State Park, but it does not include weather station tours. Stay up-to-date with whats new to see and do at Union Station with our weekly e-newsletters. With the launch of our new membership program, we also introduced our new premium memberships. Our family drives from the Chicago area all the way to southern California, and the come back through Phoenix/Tucson. This got us an ASTC membership. If someone like mesomeone who spends a good chunk of her free and waking hours researching and writing about things to do with kidscould make this mistake, then I am probably not alone. For questions or assistance, please contact Membership Services at membership@visitmosac.org or call us at 916 674-5000. I just found this post on researching the ASTC and ACM programs. Looking for a place to camp? We use it all the time. Got any Momsense for us as we consider all this information? You can learn more about your local zoo or aquarium's membership program on their website or by contacting them directly. 4:00 The 12-month membership would begin when your recipient redeems the voucher. http://www.childrensmuseums.org/family-reciprocal-membership.html, 21 Fun Things To Do In Port St Joe Florida, 17+ Fun Things To Do In Philadelphia With Kids [Plus 1 day Itinerary], Best Hikes In Canyonlands National Park [Maps Included], Crazy Family Adventure One Year of Full-Time Family Travel - Crazy Family Adventure, Crazy Family Adventure 10 things we learned from 365 days of living and traveling in an RV - Crazy Family Adventure. Our Premium Members receive FREE tickets to the exhibit and can book those tickets for any date, even dates that are sold out! Thanks so much for your feedback. Analytics cookies help website owners to understand how visitors interact with websites by collecting and reporting information anonymously. Its always a good idea to call the membership office if you have any doubts about which membership levels include reciprocity. You will need a photo ID and proof of membership. Participation in and the benefits of reciprocity programs can change at any time, so please keep these tips in mind: MSI members at all levels enjoy 50 percent off admission at the following museums: Can't find your answer online? Invitation to USKC Giving Society, including Signature Events. When she visits us in MA, we use the Durham pass to go to the Museum of Science in Boston. However, we too have run into difficulties at the Childrens Museum in West Hartford in their honoring reciprocity or made it very difficult holding up the line on multiple occasions. ASTC- Association of Science and Technology Centers Founded in 1973, ASTC has approximately 650 members in nearly 50 countries. Experience new traveling exhibits hosted by Union Station each year. You will have admittance to the Extreme Mount Washington Museum in the Mt. Thanks for de-mystifying the ACM reciprocal membership changes for everyone I know its going to be a bumpy ride come April 1st, but this post will surely help folks understand the changes. Youll be receiving your membership cards via email. Present a valid military ID at time of purchase; at the museum only. There are some museums and zoos that are listed as discounted admission, like the Philadelphia Zoo and are clearly identified on the MOS website. For $62 we get free admission for our family of 7, to over 1,800 museums for the entire year. I could not get free admission to the Indiana State Museum because it was within 90 miles of my home address. Here I am writing a blog filled with insider tips for getting out with your kids, and I made a doozy of a mistake! BIG mistake. One point for clarification: the Connecticut Science Center is an ASTC member; however, the center doesnt participate in the Passport Program. The intention is to display ads that are relevant and engaging for the individual user and thereby more valuable for publishers and third party advertisers. We are so lucky to have so many great museums in our state. ASTC Association of Science Technology Centers https://www.astc.org/, NARM-NorthAmericanReciprocalMuseum One of the largest reciprocal membership programs in the world with members in the United States, Bermuda, Canada, El Salvador and Mexico! Thanks for sharing! Featuring 400 new state-of-the-art theatre chairs, 4-K digital projection, and crystal clear sound, its the perfect venue to enjoy full-length first run and educational films. Located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the Discovery World is a great place to spend the day with your family exploring. We paid $109 for the day, but then we could get into other zoos for free or half price for the rest of the year. Senior Discount Seniors (ages 60 and up) receive a $2 discount on COSI general admission. All other family members over four will get to pay the youth price. Gift memberships are sold as gift cards. Included for up to 2 adults and 6 youth (ages 3-17) in the same household plus 2 named caregivers (nannies, grandparents, etc.) Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Those with an AZA pass will receive free or half-price admission to a large number of zoos and aquariums across the country. Check out Hipcamp and come stay with us! Members can visit hundreds of museums around the world for free or at discounted rates! Thanks again for your feedback! I felt terrible after hyping it up we had to turn around and get back in the car because paying full price wasnt an option for us. Arvin Gottlieb Planetarium first visit for free and additional tickets for only $4. Taking advantage of the ASTC Travel Passport Program is easy. ASTC- Association of Science-Technology Centers This membership gets you into about 300 science centers and museums for free. Thanks for all the info Jen at www.free2breathe.com! Your membership is tax-deductible and, with it, you remain part of our historic family of supporters helping ensure our place in the community for years to come. Regnier Extreme Screen theatre popcorn for only $1. Members also can get up to 10% off purchases from Star Store except for autographed books. The ASTC logo is in the top right corner. Marketing cookies are used to track visitors across websites. The added benefit of visiting zoos is a real bonus for us. I got screwed a second time over by not being able to get free admission to Museum of Science and Industry (also Chicago) because it was within 90 miles of the museum that I was a member of. We paid for our annual membership online to the Baton Rouge zoo in Louisiana for $59. 136 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[<02AB88942348AD4ABF77BBF7C2E2C9FF>]/Index[109 72]/Info 108 0 R/Length 128/Prev 444798/Root 110 0 R/Size 181/Type/XRef/W[1 3 1]>>stream The website cannot function properly without these cookies. What the heck is a reciprocal program anyway? Good news! The museum you are visiting has to be more than 90 miles from your home address. 2 World-class Traveling Exhibit Guest Passes, including Auschwitz. We have yet to find a childrens museum we dont like. If you are a member of a science center or museum participating in the ASTC Passport Program, you are eligible for benefits such as free general admission when you travel outside of your local area. We heard about a reciprocal to Kern County museum in California. So glad to hear that the reciprocal program has been useful for your family. It is an awesome program for anyone that likes to visit museums but especially for people who travel a lot! Not far away. Participants in government assistance and EBT . If you do decide to visit the Chicago museums, it's totally worth buying the $70 Indiana State Museum family membership. Costco says the time to raise membership prices is 'about now,' but it won't just yet: 'We'll let you know'. You just call and tell them you want the $136 membership and verify to make sure that it includes the ASTC, AZA, and ACM reciprocal program. When you join your local ASTC science center, you'll get free entrance to your local science center for 1 year, and free or reduced (usually 50%) admission to around 300 other members of ASTC's reciprocity program, called the ASTC Travel Passport Program. Core memberships are 100% tax deductible. These are the cornerstones of our mission. You were my first inspiration to this fulltime lifestyle and I still come back to your site for info all the time! And to make matters even more confusing, there are going to be some significant changes to one of the major reciprocal programs, the Association of Childrens Museums, going into effect on April 1st, 2013. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Some are free and some are 50% off. Call us at (773) 947-3161 or email us. These programs are completely separate, although many museums in our state belong to both organizations. Members save $50 on birthday party packages. You can get a membership for as little as $60/year with ASTC privileges. We found that Boston Science Museum (MOS) membership offers the most bang for our buck, so-to-speak. Ask around- ask family, friends, co-workers, call your museum or zoo of interest and search online. https://tickets.unionstation.org/resend. Parking passes for Premium members must be picked up at the Box Office during business hours. ***Business member facility rental includes Grand Plaza, Science City, Extreme Screen, Haverty Family Yards, Arthur Stilwell, Jarvis Hunt, Innovation Center. The law states that we can store cookies on your device if they are strictly necessary for the operation of this site. Call us at (773) 947-3161 or email us. The Maryland Science Center welcomes members from participating ASTC Passport Program institutions. Your information will never be shared or sold to a 3rd party. Free admission for two additional guests and all children in household and grandchildren under 21. Union Station including Science City and all of our vital offerings is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization, with an operating budget that is sustained through donations. They did not require residency, are part of both programs and are more than 90 miles away. As an MSI member, you may take advantage of the ASTC Travel Passport Program that allows you to visit museums across the U.S. and around the world for free or discounted admission. The museum you are visiting has to be more than 90 miles from your home address. Enjoy them! Creating last memories for our community. The Cernan Earth and Space Center at Triton College offers free planetarium admission for up to four members of the same family membership to the ASTC. Unclassified cookies are cookies that we are in the process of classifying, together with the providers of individual cookies. The website cannot function properly without these cookies. The Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) is a membership organization of science engagement institutionsespecially science and technology centers and museums in North America and around the world that provide opportunities for lifelong learning about science and technology; connect science, technology, and society; engage diverse Below you will find a few examples of the incredible opportunities that await your memberships with ASTC. Many museums, especially childrens museums, offer membership levels that include reciprocity with other museums. Click on each one to go to their website and check out the participating museums, centers and zoos and read about any special rules. ASTCs Commitment to Diversity, Accessibility, Inclusion, and Equity, ASTC Fellow Award for Outstanding Contribution, 2020 PIT Community Innovation Fellowship Program, Community Science Dialogue & Deliberation Fellowship Program, Thriving Earth Exchange Community Science Fellows Program, Accessibility Toolkit for Museum Digital Engagement, Center for Advancement of Informal Science Education, Sparks for Science, Community, and Equity, CCLI (Cultural Competence Learning Institute), Collaboration for Ongoing Visitor Experience Studies (COVES), Informal STEM Learning (ISL) Professional Framework, International Science Center and Science Museum Day, Diversity and Leadership Development Fellows Program, Dialogue & Deliberation Fellowship Program, Thriving Earth Exchange Fellowship Program, Public Interest Technology Community Innovation Fellowship Program, ASTC Passport Participant List, November 1, 2022-April 30, 2023, ASTC Passport Participant List,November 1, 2022-April 30, 2023. Tax-deductible membership gifts and Annual Fund donations are non-refundable. Its not that they are encouraging you TO travel. I actually have never looked into the AZA benefits. We continued learning and the following year when the memberships were up for renewal we bought a membership from Dayton Society of Natural History, also called Boonshoft, for $145 and this membership gave us all three of the reciprocals. Exclusions apply and benefits vary. h%yoe],8{dI:wZ33 UEqT2o-ny[T GWY-PV5=wJ]RNJ^*C*-hV1P}yYJMGPZ'IRi,CHPkW,}v=+%FGZG|uW4GS##'47ETC}O}4RF[}]iZ>jHWz?__~EG?3?/;37? Reciprocal admission through this program is an . Many museums offer these types of reciprocal memberships, but often the ins and outs of that reciprocity can be a little hard to follow. It didnt include the zoo membership, but we can always get online and buy from Baton Rouge again, or we can do some more research and possibly find another one that will save us more money. Here are links where you can find the lists: Science Museums http://www.astc.org/passport/ **Free or discounted admission to ASTC Passport . Memberships have been simplified to Solo and Dual, with the option to add children and grandchildren to the Dual membership. Entry through Members' Only ticket lines via our Harborside Entrance. However there are some restrictions for the ASTC one about it not working within 90 miles of your home address either I havent tested this yet but may be worth making some phone calls if this impacts you. If youve never been to a childrens museum and you have kids, you need to check one out. Kansas Citys Science Center is THE place for inquisitive minds of all ages to experience the amazing world of science with 92,000 sqft of indoor and outdoor hands-on learning and non-stop fun. Open tomorrow Out and About Mom is a blog providing Connecticut parents with fun and creative ideas for family-friendly outings. 9:30 Its that they are encouraging you to visit other childrens museums when or if you travel. They also do not follow the 90 mile rule for most other participating museums in Massachusetts so we have found we can enjoy our pass at almost all of the places we love throughout our neighboring states, but mostly right here in Connecticut. Levels and Prices; Membership FAQs . With your ASTC passport, two adults and up to four children can get into the attraction for a day of fun. Core Level - The Essentials. The unauthorized use of images of Union Station for commercial purposes could falsely suggest endorsement and therefore is prohibited. With our membership we get: Free admission or discounts to science museums - ASTC science museums ( http://www.astc.org) Discounts at zoos and aquariums -AZA Association of Zoos & Aquariums ( https://www.aza.org ), Half price at Children's Museums - ACM Association of Children's Museums ( http://www.childrensmuseums.org) Members of ASTC Travel Passport Program institutions may receive free general admission for up to two adults and three children (17 and under). These days, most museums list all the details of their membership on their website. Check back everyTuesdayandThursdayas we dish up more Momsense for getting out and about with your little ones. from Preferred browsers: Google Chrome, FireFox, or Microsoft Edge. USA. And I would definitely recommend them. Analytics cookies help website owners to understand how visitors interact with websites by collecting and reporting information anonymously. You can always search for reciprocal memberships and find even more, but these are some of the most popular. EAA members can present the EAA Membership card to enjoy nearly 400 museum and science centers worldwide free of charge, thanks to a partnership with the Association of Science-Technology Centers and its ASTC Travel Passport Program. Museums that offer this are required to charge a minimum of $125/family for an annual membership. Any particular favorites? Adult (18+) $10. Then we got into the Living Desert Zoo for an additional $50 which was the half price discount. Give thegiftof education, entertainment, and discovery. Science centers and museums located within 90 miles* of the science center/museum where the visitor is a member. Show your EAA membership card at the admissions area of the museum you are visiting* to gain access to their facilities for free.**. Nonprofit or for-profit organizations that engage the public in science and share ASTCs commitment to diversity, accessibility, inclusion, and equity, but that do not operate science centers or museums. These are only a few of the dozens of participating attractions you can get free or reduced admission to with an ASTC membership. Google advertising cookie used for user tracking and ad targeting purposes. Yup. You can have them resent using this link. 2. ACM Associations of Childrens Museums https://www.childrensmuseums.org/. Cookies are required for this site to operate correctly. Our favorite three favorite reciprocals have been the ASTC, ACM, and AZA. If we bought our membership from the Living Desert zoo that we were visiting it would have cost us $130 for the year and all other zoos would be half off, none would have been free. We hope our little research project has been helpful to those of you sorting through the sometimes confusing world of museum memberships. Hi Ladies! + $25 per additional adult 2. When you are traveling full-time or even if you just like to travel a lot it is easy to spend a lot of money on extracurricular activities. AZA-AssociationofZoosandAquariums Free or half priced admission into nearly 100 different zoos and aquariums. It includes science centers and museums, as well as nature centers, aquariums, planetariums, zoos, botanical gardens, and natural history and children's museums. EAA is now hiring seasonal grounds crew employees! For more information on the ASTCs reciprocal program (called the Passport Program), click. Plus, your membership is tax-deductible and, with it, you become part of our historic family of supporters helping ensure our place in the community for the next 100+ years! Students, Seniors 55+, and Military can receive $5 off when they purchase their membership at the box office with a valid ID. This link has a list of all the participating museums and science centers. The museum you are visiting has to be more than 90 miles from your "home" museum that you are a member of. Great question! What's the cheapest membership on the list? NARM has over 1,000 arts, cultural, and historical institutions along with botanical gardens, childrens museums, science and technology centers. JavaScript is required to operate this site. Want to keep up with all our Out and About Mom adventures? Google Universal Analytics short-time unique user tracking identifier. It depends on the museum and who runs it. Tips to finding the best zoo and museum memberships for you or your family. I actually found out about the two deals I was considering through family and a Facebook-friend. Frugality is the mental approach we each take when considering our resource allocations. These are only a few of the dozens of participating attractions you can get free or reduced admission to with an ASTC membership. Learn about Allied Member Benefits. Thanks for sharing your experience. Core 2. Within a couple of visits, your experiences will have been paid in full. General Admission Includes admission to the aquarium, museum and zoo GSC Members: Free Adults (ages 14 - 64): $19.50 Seniors (ages 65+): $18.50 Children (ages 3 - 13): $17.50 Children 2 and Under: Free Want free admission for a year? Free visits to Science City, Planetarium. Zoos & Aquariums https://www.aza.org/reciprocity/ Were all digital these days and do not have the capability to print cards. A day trip for my family of 5 to Field Museum is $65 admission with no extras (special exhibits, 3D movies,etc). Marketing cookies are used to track visitors across websites. For example, if you have a membership to the Lutz Childrens Museum (both a ACM and a ASTC member), you can still get into the Providence Childrens Museum and the Boston Childrens Museum for FREE since those museums also offer reciprocity through both programs. Additionally, membership rates for individual museums may have increased since this post was published. Natural History Museum of Los Angelos County. With a large family, things can add up quickly so we are selective about our purchases. Check out this great list of the Best Museums For Kids In The US all of these may not be on the reciprocal program as it is always changing so be sure to check the website before you go. Preference cookies enable a website to remember information that changes the way the website behaves or looks, like your preferred language or the region that you are in. and MORE! It is basically a big play area for kids, usually with different themed play areas. MSI members at all levels enjoy 50 percent off admission at the following museums in Illinois and Wisconsin: Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum (Chicago): (773) 755-5100 Milwaukee Public Museum (Milwaukee, Wis.): (414) 278-2700 Contact us Can't find your answer online? EAA members can present the EAA Membership card to enjoy nearly 400 museum and science centers worldwide free of charge, thanks to a partnership with the Association of Science-Technology Centers and its ASTC Travel Passport Program. Im so glad to hear that you have found a membership that works well for you and your family! To check if a museum participates in the ACM Reciprocal Program, click HERE. We have literally saved hundreds of dollars since we bought ours back in January! We are so glad to hear that the post is helpful! Your membership is tax-deductible and, with it, you remain part of our historic family of supporters helping ensure our place in the community for years to come. We purchase our membership through The Boston Childrens center on our yearly Boston trek. Guests must present proof of current ASTC museum membership and a valid photo ID to receive . I also have membership at Children's museum in Indianapolis. For $62 we get free admission for our family of 7, to over 1,800 museums for the entire year.